Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Policy and Early Learning, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

Libby Doggett leads the Office of Early Learning which oversees both the Early Learning Challenge and the Preschool Development Grant Programs. In addition Doggett provides birth to age eight expertise and policy guidance to the Secretary and other offices at the US Department of Education and serves as ED’s early learning liaison to the While House, as well as the US Department of Health and Human Services and other federal and state agencies. Doggett brings a lifetime of early learning experience from her work in schools, Head Start and child care with children with and without disabilities. Prior to returning to ED where in the nineties she served as executive director of the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council for infants, toddlers and preschoolers with disabilities and their families Doggett worked with the Pew Charitable Trusts. There she directed the Pew home visiting campaign where she oversaw a robust research agenda and worked with advocates in target states to build political and public understanding and support for data-driven investments that align with federal guidance. Prior to that Doggett directed Pre-K Now, a 10-year campaign to advance high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three- and four-year-olds in states across the country. Through its successes, Pre-K Now significantly increased the investments and number of children attending state supported pre-k. Doggett also worked for the National Head Start Association, directing their HeadsUp!Reading program to improve literacy instruction in early learning classrooms across the country. She began her career as a bilingual first grade teacher at Ortega Elementary School in Austin and holds a doctorate from the University of Texas in early childhood special education.

Tammy Proctor

Group Leader for Early Learning, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

Tammy Proctor is the Group Leader for the Office of Early Learning in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. This office is responsible for the Race to the Top- Early Learning Challenge program and the Preschool Development Grants program. Prior to her current position she provided oversight and monitoring at the Federal level for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Parts B and C in the Office of Special Education Programs at the Department of Education. Her career portfolio includes more than 20 years of early childhood education experience in State and Local programs. She worked as the Director of Disabilities Services in the District of Columbia’s Public School Head Start Program; Supervisor of Early Childhood Programs in the Prince Georges County Public School System in Maryland and the Child Find/Public Awareness Coordinator for the Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Program in the District of Columbia’s Early Care and Education Administration. Tammy holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education Administration.

Steven Hicks

Steven serves as Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). Steven initially joined the Department through the Department’s Teaching Ambassador Fellowship program, a nonpartisan program designed to improve education for students by involving teachers in the development and implementation of national education policy. His portfolio includes intra-department coordination, early learning strategic planning, communications, education policy development, legislative technical assistance, stakeholder relations, and Secretary and senior staff briefings. Before joining the U.S. Department of Education, Steven was a pre-kindergarten through third grade teacher in Los Angeles, California. At the State level, Steven served for three years as California Reading and Literature Project Pre-K Director for the California State University Los Angeles Region, working with preschool teachers and paraprofessionals from various program models across the county. He also participated as part of the Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) planning collaborative to establish high-quality preschool throughout the county. Later when the initiative was well established, the early learning center he founded at his charter school became the one-hundredth LAUP site. Steven holds a Masters of Education in Early Childhood and Primary Education, National Board Certification in Early Childhood Generalist, and a Child Development Program Director Permit.

Shevine Holeman

Shevine G. Holeman serves as an Education Program Specialist in the Office of Early Learning, part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Before joining the Department in 2006, she was a Title I (a.k.a. Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as reauthorized) Supervisor, Building Administrator, and Classroom Teacher all in the Newport News Public School Division. During her tenure, Shevine supervised Title I staff and Title I instructional programs in the Newport News Public School Division; worked as a building administrator at an early childhood center for four year olds and at an elementary school; and taught kindergarten, fourth, and fifth grades as a classroom teacher. Prior to her current position, she worked with, monitored, advised, and provided technical assistance to states on the implementation of the Title I program. She also completed program responses for hotline complaints from the Office of the Inspector General, drafted program determination letters for programs in response to Title I audit findings from grantees and subgrantees, served as an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Flexibility monitor, served as a fiscal and program monitor for Title I programs, and performed other pertinent duties for the Title I Program in the Office of Student Achievement and School Accountability. Shevine completed her bachelor’s degree from Hampton University. She completed her masters and certificate of advanced graduate studies in educational leadership from Regent University. She also completed her juris doctorate from Regent University.

Miriam Lund

Miriam Lund serves as an Educational Specialist, for the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). Miriam currently works as a program officer for the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Grant Program; prior to this she was a program officer for the Teacher Incentive Fund, Mathematics and Science Partnerships; Javits Gifted and Talented Students program; 21st Century community Learning Centers; Literacy and Libraries and the Title II, Part A -Highly Qualified Teacher grant programs.

Miriam joined the department after teaching middle school mathematics, science, and reading in Baker, Florida; Rio Rancho, New Mexico; and San Antonio, Texas. Miriam served as a consultant for New Mexico State University teaching educators how to incorporate technology in their practices. Miriam trained teachers how to analyze and use data to increase student performance results as a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award trainer. In each district where Miriam worked, she began or worked in, an after school program with the goal of increasing student achievement. Miriam earned eleven education certifications, as-well-as National Board Certification as a Middle School Generalist. Miriam received her Masters of Arts in Secondary Education/Science Literacy from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Mathematics and Science Education from the University of West Florida.

Rebecca Marek

Rebecca (Becky) Marek serves as an Education Program Specialist at the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) in Washington, D.C. Becky has more than 20 years of dedicated service to the U.S. Department of Education. She has held many positions during her tenure at the Department, including working in the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Office of the Secretary and OESE's Executive Office. She is currently assigned to the Office of Early Learning within OESE where she serves as Project Officer to the Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge grants and the Early Reading First grants.

Mary Moran

Mary Moran works as an Education Program Specialist in the Office of Early Learning and has over 30 years of dedicated service in the U.S. Department of Education. Her accomplishments as an Education Program Specialist have included leading and participating on program monitoring teams throughout the country for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education programs of Impact Aid and Title I as well as providing technical assistance and input into policy. Additional responsibilities have focused on school district, State Education Agency, and Office of Inspector General audit closeouts and resolutions. Other Federal Government accomplishments include serving as Senior Research Associate for the Congressional National Commission on Student Financial Assistance, project bank staff for the President’s Task Force on Private Sector Initiatives, grants and contracts review, and serving on Federal disaster assistance teams responding to Presidential declared emergencies.
Mary’s career of school district teaching, university teaching, and work in the Federal Government has concentrated on the education of at-risk children. She began her professional career in the Granite City, Illinois School District, teaching special education (learning disabilities and behavioral disorders) and regular education, along with helping to develop and teach the first district special education program for children with behavioral disorders. Mary interned with the Evaluation Division of the St. Louis Public Schools while writing and researching her doctoral dissertation, developing an evaluation model for a comprehensive system of personnel development in special education. Her work included university teaching and staff at the George Washington University. Mary earned her B.S. and M.S. from Southern Illinois University and Ph.D. from St. Louis University. Her research and education certifications have focused on program evaluation, school finance and accounting, school administration, and special education for children with behavioral disorders and learning disabilities.

Sheila Proctor

Sheila has more than 20 years of dedicated service in the federal government. She currently serves as a Program Assistant/Webmaster at the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Office of Early Learning (OEL) in Washington, D.C. Sheila also worked in the Department of Education’s Office of Chief Financial Office (OCFO), Indirect Cost/Audit Resolutions, and in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Deputy Assistant Secretary’s Office. In this office, Sheila worked directly for the Speech Writer. Sheila left the Department to work in the private sector for the National Safe Kids Campaign where she worked closely with the Public Policy Director, Congress, and the Police and Fire Departments.

While at the National Safe Kids Campaign, Sheila was certified to safely secure child safety seats in vehicles. Sheila was also responsible for community activities such as: fire and bike safety events for children in the Washington, D.C area and surrounding communities. After leaving the National Safe Kids Campaign, Sheila took her love for the community and the children and went to work at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, where she worked on several community events and experienced firsthand what it’s like to hear a call come in concerning a missing or abducted child. In addition, Sheila worked in the legal department where internationally abducted children cases were handled.
On February 14th 2000, Sheila returned to the Department of Education and began working for the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program where has worked for 12 years, and was first introduced to maintaining the web. She began maintaining one web site and one listserv and as her workload increased, she maintained 28 web sites for the OESE/AITQ Program. Sheila is currently studying Psychology at the University of Maryland University College.

Ruben Vazquez

Rubén J Vázquez serves as an Education Program Specialist in the Office of Early Learning, part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Before joining the Department in 2006, he was English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Coordinator and Foreign Language Education Supervisor for the Florida Department of Education for nine years. During his tenure, Rubén coordinated activities for the Office of Multicultural Student Education as they related to English Language Acquisition, Foreign Language Instruction, Bilingual Education and the implementation of heritage language instructional programs. He coordinated and managed Federal and State programs for limited English proficient students, immigrant children and youth and refugee students.
Prior to his current position, he advised States of requirements imposed on them by Federal laws and regulations and provided guidance on standards, assessments and accountability systems for English language learners in the Office of Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs - Title III Group. He also coordinated programs that help ensure that children, who are limited English proficient and Native American, attain English proficiency, develop high levels of academic attainment in English, and meet the same challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards. In addition, he also served as Education Program Specialist for the Office of Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs - Title I Group at the U.S Department of Education and performed a variety of complex management/program analysis functions and advised senior management on difficult and/or complex issues facing States related to the administration and program operations to ensure compliance with Federal law and Title I ESEA Flex.